Get Dirty

A Story by Lone Blaze

Put some dirt on your integrity, then you can be one of us

Winter struck. Arnold was trying to make his way to the police station through the pavement that was covered with snow. Although he was in his full winter uniform, he could still feel the piercing cold. He didn’t want to be late on his first day of work but the thick snow had delayed him a little.

Arnold knew he had arrived when sudden rays of golden light shone into his eyes. Surrounded by broken houses and buildings, the police station was always the brightest place in the region. He pushed the entrance door open to get inside. Immediately, he felt the warm air that escaped through the door crack.

After adapting to the bright light, he saw a ‘party’ was going on. The people, in their police uniforms, were enjoying themselves. Playing cards, munching on snacks and conversing with each other. Arnold squeezed through the crowd and found an unoccupied working desk. There were plies of criminal records on the desk but a brown A4 sized paper bag caught Arnold’s eyes. He loosened the strings and opened it. A stash of bank notes and a piece of paper were lying inside. He pulled out the paper and read the lines. “Welcome to the South Dakota Police family, Arnold!’ He looked around. He didn’t feel so welcomed. He retightened the strings and put it aside. The patrol schedule stated that the next errand for Arnold was at 12:00 p.m., which meant he had nothing to do but staring at the clock before then.

The clock finally struck twelve. Arnold sighed with relief. He put on his coat and headed for the exit. Embraced by the cold again, he saw one of his colleagues leaning against the wall beside the door. ‘So you’re Arnold, right?’ he asked in a disdainful tone. Arnold nodded. “My name’s Jack. I’m your partner but I’m sure it won’t be long. Just follow me.’

The patrol area covered five streets but Jack skipped four and directly went to the street where shops located. With his eyes staring at the floor, hands placing at the back, Jack walked into the street. When they were about half way through, Jack halted and looked around. A wrinkled elderly came out from nowhere, grinning, said ‘I’m sorry for being late. Here’s your……’ Jack fiercely gave him a stare. The old man immediately realized a new face was around. He gave a fully filled sack to Jack and quickly left the scene. Jack continued his walk as if nothing had happened. Without further patrolling, Jack led Arnold back to the station. Jack rejoined the ‘party’ and Arnold returned to his boring workplace. Arnold gazed at that brown A4 sized paper bag. ‘That’s why.’

He took out the bank notes and put them into the hidden pocket in his coat.

Someone exclaimed from the ‘party’, ‘Hey, new guy, want to join us in the game?’